Design/Remodel Your Room or Home (Part 1)

Make your renovations or new home seen through your eyes

Past unstable markets and the boom of Pinterest have pushed home owners or renters to be more creative in home design.  Pinterest has inspired many to redesign the space they have or picture the future of a "fixer-up" that falls in their price range.  Envisioning a finished master piece is no easy task if you can't get past the mismatch kitchen cupboard and on the other end if one wanted to build a home where do even you begin?  I have found several sites which are; free to use (at least demo), easy to manage, and most importantly give you the ability to see your design put together.

Key Features:

Demension:
Amongst the CAD (Computer-Aided Design) sites I have found allow the user has access to both 2D and 3D floor plans.  Three dimensional floor plans are a great way to see your plans from all angles, some sites such as Floor Planner, are great for this visual.


Prebuilt Floor Pans:
Looking to optimize your space, this is the feature for you.  Prebuilt plans work wonders for a user who is looking to design a specific room or has a typical layout.  These plans give the bones of a floor plan from here it is up to user to adjust to specific dimensions a room has.  Personally I have used this feature myself to find new ways to rearrange furniture in rooms with many obstacles such as; windows, doors, closets, and outlet placement.


Prints:
For those of you looking to build or remodel and don't know where to start when you meet your contractor, print off your vision and bring it.  Although CAD gives you freedom to design to your hearts content keeping budget in mind because, who wants to be told "It can't be done on that budget"  So my tip keep it simple for the first meeting give the contractor perspective on your style but don't create something so unobtainable you will end up crushed.


Later this week look for Part 2 which will walk through how to use tools on various CAD sites.

Who am I?

I...

I am Marie Pistek a problem solving fanatic interested in new technologies as it relates to Real Estate markets.  Upon my graduation I am looking to break away from the Midwest and move South in effort to find a career which involves problem solving and pushes me to learn.

Am A Student

I currently attend the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) where in the spring I will graduate with a double major in Management Information Systems and Real Estate.  For the past four years this college has been my home.  UNI has allowed me to find my strengths, make connections, and set goals.

Have A Huge Family 

Family is one of the most important things to me.  My dad is one of 9 children and my mother one of 4.   Not one of my Aunts or Uncles had less than three children.   That being said growing up there was never a shortage of children to play with or new cousins to meet. My summers were filled spending a week at a time at my aunts and uncles houses.  With a family as large as mine it is near impossible to see myself without them.

Am a Traveler

Vacations who doesn't love them?  I have been very fortunate in my traveling endeavors.  Beyond the typical state travels I have visited Ireland and in a few weeks I am bound for the Bahamas.  Ireland is by far the most eye opening travel experience I have had.  The lifestyle is completely different and much more relaxed.  On this trip with my mother and sister we met more family and I do hope to see them again in the future.

Industry Apps related to the Real Estate Market

In today's modern world every hand has the capability to hold a plethora of information. Whether it be a smartphone, computer, or tablet the user has access to endless resources in a button click or swipe of the screen.   It is imperative to successful marketing to tap into these resources.  The real estate market has not allowed itself to be left in the dust.  It has been an early adapter so to speak which has lead to various well developed mobile apps on across multiple platforms; android, apple and even blackberry.
 

Apps geared to finding housing:

Zillow

Trulia

  

Realtor.com